INTRODUCTION

Syphilis is a human infectious disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.

Syphilis cannot be caught through casual contact, such as toilet seats or sharing
cutlery.
Syphilis used to be relatively common in the UK until the end of the Second World
War. Then the widespread availability of antibiotics meant that the condition became
quite rare.
Syphilisis more common in men than women, and rates are highest among gay men.
Catching syphilis increases your chances of catching HIV. Also, HIV will alter the
typical course of syphilis, increasing the chances of it progressing to tertiary
syphilis.The condition can be particularly dangerous becauseit lies dormant for
many years andcan recur, causing serious damage to the:
-heart,nervous system,eyes,brain, and,almost every other part of the body.
 Diagnosis
Syphilis can be easily diagnosed. The doctor will take a
blood or urine sample to run tests, and theyll also conduct
a thorough physical examination. If a sore is present, the
doctor will take a sample from the sore o determine if the
syphilis bacteria are present.
If the doctor suspects that youre having nervous system
problems because of tertiary syphilis, you may need a spinal
tap, or lumbar puncture. During this procedure, your spinal
fluid is collected so that your doctor can test for bacteria.
 Stages

Early or Primary Stage

People with primary syphilis will develop one or more sores. The
sores are usually small, they occur on the genitals or in around the
mouth somewhere between 10-90 days after exposure.
 Secondary Stage
May last one to 3 months and begins within six weeks to six months
after exposure. People with secondary syphilis experience a rosy
copper penny rash typically on the palms of the hands and soles of
the feet. However, rashes with a different appearance may occur on
other parts of the body.
Other symptoms of secondary syphilis may include:
Headaches
Swollen lymph glands
Fatigue
Fever
Weight loss
Hair loss
Aching joints
 Latent and Late Stage
This is where the infection lies dormant (inactive) without causing
symptoms. Symptoms of the late stage of syphilis include difficulty
coordinating your muscle movements, paralysis, numbness,
blindness, and dementia (mental disorders). In the late stages of
syphilis, the disease damages your internal organs and can result to
death.

Tertiary Stage of Syphilis

If the infection isnt treated, it may then progress to a
stage characterized by severe problems with the heart,
brain, and nerves that can result in paralysis, blindness,
dementia, deafness, impotence, and even death if its not
treated.
Treating and Curing Syphilis
-The primary and secondary syphilis are easy to treat with
penicillin injection.
How to Prevent Syphilis
-the best way to prevent syphilis is to practice safe sex.
Using condoms during any type of sexual contact is a god
idea. In addition, it may be helpful to:
avoid having sex with multiple partners
Use a dental dam or condoms during oral sex
 MODE OF TRANSMISSION
1) direct sexual contact
-About 95-98% of syphilis patients are infected in this way on
- The study found that Treponema pallidum on human skin and mucous membranes
have affinity can penetrate normal skin and mucous membranes.
- kissingnear a lesion, as well as oral, vaginal, anal sex, homosexuality, oral-genital
contact, hand-genital contact with a category of sexually transmitted syphilis can also
damage
(2) Indirect transmission:
- Can come into contact with the patient used underwear, underwear, bedding,
towels, razors, towels, bath tub, toilet, etc., as these appliances may be contaminated
with the patient the damage at discharge Treponema pallidum, resulting in infection.
(3) Congenital Syphilis:
-the women suffering from syphilis without treatment,
pregnant mother's body T.pallidum into the fetal blood
circulation through the body, so that the fetus infected with
syphilis.
(4) blood-borne transmission:
-If the blood donor in patients with latent syphilis, he (she)
may be provided by the blood with T.pallidum. Once the
input into the recipient's body can produce infection, so the
patients do not produce a performance of syphilis, while the
direct symptoms of syphilis occurs.
 CHAIN OF INFECTION
PATHOGENESIS
TREPONEMA POLIDUM
-the organism responsible for syphilis, is a
very small, spiral bacterium (spirochete)
whose form and corkscrew rotation motility
can be observed only by dark-field
microscopy .
-T. pallidum penetrates a broad variety of
anatomical sites, including the central
nervous system, eye, and placenta, tissues
that may be immune privileged in that less
surveillance by the innate immune system
may occur in those sites
RESERVOIR
-Humans are the only reservoir
for T.pallidum or syphilis.
-epidemiologically relevant
mode of transmission is by
direct contact with treponema-
rich, open lesions and
contaminated secretions from a
patient
 PORTAL OF EXIT
-Syphilis portal of exit is via
open areas caused by
disease. These areas
commonly appear on
external genetals,in the
vagina and in the rectum.
 MODE OF TRANSMISSION
- Syphilis is a highly contagious disease
spread primarily by sexual activity including
oral and anal sex.
- Occasionally the disease can be passed to
another person through prolonged kissing or
close bodily contact. although this disease is
spread from sores ,the vast majority of those
sores go unrecognized .
-Blood transfusion ,accidental
inoculation(e.g., needle stick injury) and solid
organ transplantation have rarely been
reported as routes of transmission.
 PORTAL OF ENTRY
- The portal of entry must
provide access to tissues in
which the pathogen can
multiply or a toxin can act.
Often,infectious agents use
the same portal to enter a
new host that they use to
exit the source host.
 PREVENTION
Vaccine
-As of 2010, there is no vaccine effective for prevention. [12]Several
vaccines based on treponemal proteins reduce lesion development
in an animal model, and research is ongoing
Sex
-Condom use reduces the likelihood of transmission during sex, but
does not completely eliminate the risk
-Abstinence from intimate physical contact with an infected person
is effective at reducing the transmission of syphilis.
 Congenital disease
-Congenital syphilis in the newborn can be prevented by screening mothers
during early pregnancy and treating those who are infected .
-Congenital syphilis is still common in the developing world, as many women do
not receiveantenatal careat all, and the antenatal care others receive does not
include screening, and it still occasionally occurs in the developed world, as
those most likely to acquire syphilis (through drug use, etc.) are least likely to
receive care during pregnancy.
-Point-of-care testing to detect syphilis appeared to be good although more
research is needed to assess its effectiveness and into improving outcomes in
mothers and babies
 Screening
- The CDC recommends that sexually active men who have sex
with men be tested at least yearly.The USPSTF also recommends
screening among those at high risk.
- health care providers are required to notifypublic health
authorities, which will then ideally providepartner notification
to the person's partners.
- Physicians may also encourage patients to send their partners
to seek care.